


Protective Measures

by starbender



Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: Canon Compliant, Gen, Hunters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-07
Updated: 2015-12-07
Packaged: 2018-05-05 12:42:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 892
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5375570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starbender/pseuds/starbender
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tom received a letter from his father in Hunters. His father told him he loved him and was proud of him. So why did B'Elanna delete it?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Protective Measures

**Author's Note:**

> The usual disclaimer. This story that comes from my imagination and is not part of the Star Trek Canon. I don't own a thing and don't claim to.

The letter came through. B’Elanna knew she shouldn’t read it but Tom was in a precarious mood at the moment. It wasn’t her place to protect him but she couldn’t help it. If his father wasted his communication time acting like a jerk then B’Elanna wanted to run interference. She was still in turmoil over Chakotay’s news and wasn’t in a good place. She pushed the feelings down, way down as she tried to concentrate on her job. 

_Tom,_  

_You cannot image the joy we felt when we learned from your EMH that you were still alive. We had held a memorial service for you and we were still going through a period of grieving when this unforeseen thing happened. We know it might be a long time before we will see you again but now we have hope. Hope that someday we will be able to say the things we needed to say to you face to face._

_I felt great regret when I thought you were dead. I had left so many things unsaid. The EMH (a most remarkable hologram. I understand why you sent him) was more than eager to share things with us about you and about how honorably you have served under Kathryn’s command in untenable circumstances. I cannot begin to imagine what your life is like now but I want you to know that I am proud of you. Deep down I always knew that if you ever could get past your issues with me there was a fine man in there. I was not wrong. I’m just sorry that I was wrong in my methods in trying to force you into a mold that you were not suited for. If we see each other again I hope that we can start over._

_We were told that you had begun a relationship with one of the Maquis. I looked up her records. You must forgive me but old prejudices flared up for a moment but it was your mother who cautioned me that you were a long way from home where old enmities didn’t matter and if you were happy with this young woman I should simply let the fact that she was in the Maquis go. I will do my best. We were told that you have been seeing her exclusively for some time so if you are happy with her and she is happy with you... then I look forward to meeting her someday._

_Now, unfortunately, I have some bad news for you. You probably learned from your EMH about the war with the Dominion and we like many suffered losses. I regret to inform you that some of your friends lost their lives in defense of the Federation._  

There was a list. A list of names. Starfleet officers, friends of Tom who had died in the terrible conflict that had taken her friends. It wasn’t as long a list as Chakotay’s, but it was long enough. Friends that he had trained with, served with, partied with, and gotten into trouble with. How would  he react? Would he feel the same anger and guilt that she was feeling right now? She skimmed down to the end.

_Know this son, we love you and miss you and you can be assured that we will not stop until we find a way to bring you home._

_Dad._

A sharp intake of breath and she threw the padd down on the floor in a fit of...what? It had been a beautiful letter and Tom should see it but, those names. That damn list of names.  He had gotten into such a state over the accident at Caldik Prime. What would happen if he learned about this? 

She didn’t know what made her do it. Perhaps it was her wish to spare Tom what she was enduring right now. She picked up the padd, deleting the letter. She was too damn impulsive, always acting on her first instinct. Should she blame her Klingon half or her human half that was always running away from conflict? She cursed herself and began to scramble to see if there was a way she could have to get it back. She could have kept the best parts, edited out the bad news, but then if they ever made contact again his father might  refer back to it and Tom would have no idea what he was talking about. Maybe it was best to sacrifice the good to keep Tom from knowing the bad.

Damn. She was thinking in terms of her own pain.  She would just tell him she lost it. If in the future he talked about his friends she had to pretend. If communications with the Alpha Quadrant ever became routine he would simply tell his dad that this letter was lost, but maybe by then enough time would have passed so it wouldn't hurt quite as much. She hoped this was not the beginning of a habit of keeping secrets. She felt herself being pulled into something she couldn't explain. There was only one thing to do. She steadied her nerves and put on a good front. Assuming a neutral frame of mind she prepared to lie to her boyfriend. She would do all she could to keep Tom from falling with her into this empty dark void.


End file.
